Yuji Maeda, CEO of SHOWROOM Inc.

We want to bring happiness to people all over the world through our live streaming service.

Yuji Maeda, CEO of SHOWROOM Inc.

Born in Tokyo. After graduating from the School of Political Science and Economics at Waseda University, he joined a foreign investment bank. After considering starting his own business, he consulted with Tomoko Namba, which led him to join DeNA in 2013. In the same year, he launched "SHOWROOM." In 2015, he established SHOWROOM Inc. through a company split, and continues to operate it to this day.

SHOWROOM is a live streaming platform that brings together people who want to make their dreams come true and those who want to support them. President Maeda decided to start a company out of a desire to leave a mark on his life and to realize the irreplaceable value of turning 0 into 1. The message he left for university students was a surprising one: "It's okay if you don't know what you want to do."

■ My university days were filled with more seriousness than most

During my university days, I had to earn my own tuition fees, so I gradually began to think about the price I was getting for paying such high tuition fees: the quality of my learning. Since I was working so hard to earn and pay my tuition, I felt I had to get something worthwhile in return, so I did all sorts of things with the sole desire to improve the quality of my learning per class hour. I think I took my classes more seriously than most, and I proactively gave seminar presentations and wrote papers in English. People around me may have thought I was strange at the time, but I was fortunate to meet friends who shared similar sensibilities to me. It makes me so happy to see my friends, who I've known since university, thriving, and it makes me realize that the ambitious ambitions we all shared back then were not just an illusion.

■Reason for starting SHOWROOM

During my job search, I applied to a variety of companies, mainly foreign investment banks, but ultimately ended up joining UBS, which I had a connection with. I was transferred to the New York branch in my second year there, and was able to achieve my personal goal in my twenties.

At first glance, it seemed ideal, but even though my salary and title increased, my happiness level did not increase significantly. Around that time, someone very close to me passed away suddenly, which forced me to confront my views on life and death. What I realized then was that even if there were parallel worlds, there wouldn't be much difference between this world and another. It felt like there were no traces of my life left in this world. It may seem naive, but I wanted to make a big change in someone's life with my own hands, and in turn, lead to happiness for many people, and leave those warm scratches on the world, so I started SHOWROOM.

■ I want to increase the amount of happiness in the world

Since launching our live streaming service, we have had many happy moments. One comment that made me particularly happy was, "I've never felt so needed in my life." I believe that the desire to be needed by someone is the most important human desire. I believe that most people living in Japan lead healthy, fulfilling lives and are materially satisfied. Given this situation, I believe that the happiness gained from physical rewards such as a salary is unlikely to expand beyond a certain point.

In other words, there is a limit to physical rewards. However, there is no limit to the happiness that can be gained from emotional rewards. One word from a streamer made it clear to me that I was able to provide the world with the beginning of infinitely expanding emotional happiness. As the founder of this project, I couldn't be happier.

■ massage

Something I always think is that there are people who can't find what they want to do, and I hope that we can live in a world where such people aren't rejected. If you can't find your will (what you want to do), I recommend that you first work hard to increase your can (what you can do) and increase the opportunities to be needed. Of course, a life in which you find what you want to do is wonderful, but I also think that a life in which someone needs you is wonderful.

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